Ribbons Cut to Launch New Ferry Service
 
The new ferry service for the Auckland suburbs of Beach Haven and Hobsonville Point has been launched today.
 
Prime Minister John Key and Mayor Len Brown have cut the ribbons to open new ferry terminals in the two suburbs.
 
The first ferry will run tomorrow morning from Beach Haven to Downtown via Hobsonville Point.
 
The mayor says this is another great day for public transport. “Aucklanders are looking for alternatives. This service provides commuters with a convenient and pleasant alternative to motorway gridlock. We all know that the number one stumbling block to being the world’s most liveable city is our transport system. The opening of this new route and these new terminals is another example of the steady progress we are making.”
 
Auckland Transport’s chairman Lester Levy says the new service will be useful for work, school and leisure. “It offers an easy and pleasant journey and the bonus is a lovely start and end to the day on Auckland’s beautiful harbour.”
 
The terminal at Hobsonville Point is a partnership project between Auckland Transport and the Hobsonville Land Company.
 
HLC chair Adrienne Young-Cooper says today is a major milestone. “Hobsonville Point will now be served with frequent bus and commuter ferry services. Establishing public transport services early in the life of the development is visionary and establishes sustainable transport patterns early.”
 
The $3.2 million Hobsonville Point wharf has been built by Auckland Transport with a $900,000 contribution from HLC.
 
The new ferry service connecting Hobsonville Point, Beach Haven and the Downtown Ferry Terminal will be operated by 360 Discovery Ltd and the vessel is Discovery II an 80 seat catamaran.
 
From tomorrow there will be two morning and three afternoon sailings each week day. The service will take 30 minutes from Hobsonville Point to Downtown and 40 minutes from Beach Haven.
 
Fare and timetable information is available at www.AT.co.nz

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On Failures Of Care For Those With Mental Disabilities

Hard to imagine a more disturbing insight into the treatment of the vulnerable than the Health Ministry report on Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau. The Ministry has found that the country’s only kaupapa Maori intellectual disability residential care provider has been “seriously dysfunctional.”

The ministry says the business has failed to recruit and retain quality staff – and says the kaimahi (caregivers) that have been employed are seriously unsuitable for the job, lacking basic knowledge. But Te Roopu Taurima o Manukau doesn’t get all the blame. The report says there’s a significant gap under disability laws to ensure there’s oversight by qualified clinical professionals. More>>